Labor unions--Canada--History

Front page of the April, 1979 issue of the IWA publication Green Gold News . One of the headlining stories covers the recent appointment of Bill Hutchison and Surinder Malhotra to the Local Union's Executive Board on March 12th, 1979. Another headline advocates for union members to vote for the New Democratic party in the upcoming Provinicial election. Further down the page, an article covers employee action at Price-Skeena Forest Products Ltd., where employees in Terrace, B.C. recently voted to join the ranks of the I.W.A. Also mentioned on the page is the appointment of Sandspit Sub-Local Chairman Bob Smith to the Board of Trustees.

Front page of the December, 1979 issue of the IWA publication Green Gold News . One of the headlining stories covers a recent negotiation of pay rate determination, and includes a photo of union representative Surinder Malhotra conferring with Empire Lumber's plant chairman Hari Bhatti.

The front page of the June, 1985 issue of the IWA publication Green Gold News. The headliner covers a recent gaffe by the B.C. Minister of Forests, who failed to provide correct answers to a surprise quiz about B.C.'s forestry industry issued to them by the NDP. The article then includes the quiz itself, continuing onto the next page. The front page also includes the beginning of an article concerning union negotations in Nanaimo, continued on page 2.

An excerpt of a publication, possibly an issue of Green Gold News , outlining the IWA's 1975 contract demands. This page includes clauses 4 through 27, covering demands pertaining to work hours, wages, health benefits, workplace equipment and hiring practices.

The front page of the November 4th, 1946 issue of the IWA publication The B.C. Lumber Worker . This page includes an article written by IWA Trustee Darshan Singh covering Alberta's woodworking industry. Singh's article recounts efforts by the IWA to establish itself in Alberta and incorporate Albertan woodworkers, and describes the conditions workers face in Albertan lumber camps as worse than those faced by "German war prisoners employed in this area as slave labor".

Two pages of the June 8th, 1946 issue of the IWA publication The B.C. Lumber Worker , including the front page and page 4. These pages include coverage of the British Columbia Woodworker's Strike which ran from May 15th to June 20th 1946.

A three-page leaflet from the IWA Local 1-357's "357 for Change" campaign. The leaflet outlines the candidates' grievances with present Union leadership and the issues they are prepared to act upon. The leaflet concludes with photos and brief profiles of the campaign's candidates for each union leadership position.

A two-page leaflet providing information on an IWA Local 1-357 election. The bulk of the written text is in Punjabi. The leaflet appears to provide voting instructions and a list of the candidates' names rendered in Punjabi.

A three-page missive written in blue pen cursive on notebook paper. The missive is credited to G. Brawn and concerns an address by Trustee Darshan Singh to the IWA. Singh provides context for the union's objectives, alluding to the Haymarket Riot of 1886. Singh presents two conclusions regarding the Union's desire for "peace and prosperity". One is that this desire is in direct conflict with the desires of wealthy business owners, whose policies have fomented a climate of "strife and war". The other is that this desire is in line with the values advocated by Jesus of Nazareth during his lifetime. Singh then addresses the concern over a conflict between Canada and the Soviet Union. He questions why Russia building military bases in foreign lands is such a cause for concern when the United States has done so to a much greater degree in the interest of "defense". Singh closes by reiterating the Union's present demands and arguing that if they are to be successful then they must have the support of the women connected to the union and the workforce.

An excerpt of the 1944 IWA publication Proceedings of the Eighth Constitutional Convention , including the cover and pages 56, 57 and 58. Over these pages, an uniedentified union member raises his concern regarding members of the Communist Party who also hold union membership, whom he believes are out to subvert the union and use their meetings as covert recruitment venues. In response, a Union member identified as Brother Singh (likely Darshan Singh) calls for the broad tolerance of communists in their midst, explaining that they have his sympathy even though he once feared that he would be persecuted for his religion under communism. Alluding to Martin Niemöller's famous poem "Zuerst kamen sie ...", Singh argues that the persecution of communists almost always opens the door for further persecution of ethnic and cultural minorities, himself included. The meeting is then briefly suspended for a group photo-op, before Union member Brother Alsbury argues that if the Union makes concessions for the communists, then they will end up making concessions for every special interest group and that the integrity of the IWA as a trade union will be compromised as a result.